Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-06-30
In HAPPINESS AGAIN.

'But the cnIlQ Will De wet through
quite wet thrOugh!'
The cry came from the village school
mistress, who was standing in her
open doorway.
She was reckoning aud calling to the
nurse who was hurrying past, with
the little lady of the hall bundled in her
arms.
The schoolmistress was right. The
rain was pelting down IN a genuine
wintry fashion, with no trifing about
it. 1t evidently meant business, and as
the business it had in hand was the
thorough drenching of the two hurry
ing figures, Nurse Norah was not sorry
to hear herself hailed.
''Indade, then, an it's true for you,"
she said. can if ye'd be after lettin'
the little lady wait here a bit wild yez,
till I'd be comm for her in the carriage.
IT'S little Miss Lilias from the hall.
But she's that shy wild strangers, bless
her hearth"
The schoolmistress was holding out
her arms to the child, who straightway
contradicted Nurse Norah by putting
out her arms in turn to be taken.
Perhaps Miss Patience's rather tremu-
lous smile was the magnet; perhaps the
gay wood-fre cracking away in the
wide hearth. AT all events the baby
was laughing when Miss Patience car
ried her in out of the cold and wet, and
shut out the dismal afternoon, and sat
her in the big armchair before the dane
ing flames.
''It's like Little Red Riding Hood and
the wolf" Lilias remarked presently,
in her baby voice with nod at her
scarlet cloak drying before the fire;
and then looking up into Miss Patience's
face, as she sat on her lap, Gran
mamma, what great eyes you've got?
What makes them so big and queer?
Norah hasn't got them. l want n orah. y
cllo i-ad-iant mp her lip with a
pitiful expression of distress, STARING
at the great blue glasses Miss Patience
always Wore.
Miss Patience promptly took them
off
Such a soft pair of brown ewes smiled
down at the little one that it was no
wonder that she smiled back. More
especially as the two pairs of brown
eyes were So wondrously alike that
each seemed to be the reflection of the
other.
But the small critic had not finished
yet
You've got a cap like Norah. Only
it isn't like Norahs; it's SO big and
ugly. wonder if you've got red hair
under it like Moran, too?"
Miss Patience's unsteady white hands
went up and put aside the cap.
OFF with it came a frontlet of grizzled
hair.
But that which -shone on Miss
Patiences own head was certainly not
red like NOrah's, but of spun yellow
gold.
Daring little Miss Lilias pulled it
down over Miss Patience's shoulders,
and fell to matching it with her own
sunny curls.
Its most like the1n. Papa says it's
little sunshine got all tangled up in
my curls. [ think it must be really
sunshine, don't you knowp-for it hurts
papa's eyes sometimes till the tears
come into them-just like when
you look up at the SUR, don't you
know?"
1t must have hurt Miss Pafienee's,
too; her eyes have filled up suddenly.
She pressed the little head down on
her breast
land what does mamma say about
the sunshiny curls-eh, little Liliasp"
Mamma? But L haven't got any
mammal the child said wistfully.
why haven't / got any mamma? /
want one. All the other girls have got
one. l asked Norah why L hadn't got
one the other day"
''And what did Norah says''
The question was rather indistinet;
Miss Patience's lips were pressed
among the shining curls.
"Oh, Norah said may be papa'd bring
me new mamma some day. But
when | asked papa, he just put me
down off his knee, and went away,
and forgot to tell me if he would Do
you think he will, some timer"
mo, no; not that, my Lily-bell- not
that! And you have your father. my
darling. You can dc very well with
out a mamma. Mammals are not al
ways good; they don't always deserve
to have a Lily-bell like my darling"
She was kissing the girls bright
hair over and over. Her voice had the
sound of tears in it.
The child's brown eyes stared won
derlngly into the fire, as if she were
thinking.
Nobody ever calls me Lily-belI but
papa, she announced presently. do
you think, If | ever got mamma. she'd
call me Lily-bell, too? Miss Patience.
think-don't You think YOU would
come and be my mammal"
Miss Patiences two hands were over
her face; the child was pulling softly at
them
Because, she said, 81 think you'd
be a very pretty mamma, without that
ugly cap and those big ugly eyes, YOU
know, and that queer hair. Oh, Miss |
Patience, Miss Patience, you're crying!
But that'd never do for a mamma. Now
would it, papaP"
Nobody had heard him come in, but